The Silent League

The Silent League is a difficult band to trace. Formed in 2004 in Brooklyn by Justin Russo (at the time, keyboardist for Mercury Rev during the classic “Deserter’s Songs”/”All is Dream” era), The Silent League may sometimes appear like an on-again/off-again relationship between a collective of musicians interested only in periodically making records, playing shows, and disappearing again. This may be true. While nobody in New York ever seems quite sure whether or not the band still exists, the name carries weight all over the city. Lay tracks through the past 5-6 years’ worth of new music (take Arcade Fire, Interpol, Beirut, St. Vincent, Bishop Allen…) and you’re going to run over more than a handful of people who began with or spent time creating music under the name The Silent League…many of them still do, you just don’t know it.

“We don’t really care about maintaining a place in the industry. There is enough noise in the world and everyone has other work to busy themselves with”, says Russo, “we try to keep it new, detached…we make music when we think we have something to say that isn’t already being said”.

New Album

We Go Forward is a step into new territory for The Silent League. Inspired by remixes of tunes from their 3rd album, But You’ve Always Been The Caretaker in 2010, We Go Forward is a new collection of classic Silent League tracks, from each of their albums, freshly remixed by a variety of their friends and collaborators. It also includes a live fan favorite – a cover of Broken Social Scene‘s ‘Texico Bitches’ recorded with members of Maps and The Leisure Society and a cover of The Chameleons, classic, ‘Tears’.

We Go Forward is the sound of a band trying out new things, happily experimenting whilst retaining their identity and undoubtedly welcomes the next chapter in the group’s budding story.

“the Silent League have turned into the great band they always threatened to be”9/10 Popmatters

“Grandiose and intimate….the League’s space pop symphonies major in fleet-footed opulence” The Independent

“an album of such accomplished majesty.. This is hairs on the back of your neck stuff.” TheLineOfBestFit

“quite astonishing loveliness” The Mail On Sunday

“The Silent League doesn’t fall short of its reputation, bringing new meaning to soft rock” FILTER

“chamber pop with Yoshimi ambition” New York Times

“shimmering orchestral pop” WASHINGTON POST

“Caretaker is the Silent’s League’s crowning achievement and one of last year’s best releases” BLURTmagazine

“The Silent League’s majestic, smiling-through-sad-eyes music is both rapture and deliverance” Indieweek

“the Silent League celebrates the release of a textured new album, But You’ve Always Been the Caretaker, produced by Shannon Fields (Stars Like Fleas). Expect elysian orchestral climaxes, whimsical interludes from the brass section and boisterous group harmonies around maestro Justin Russo’s lonesome vocals. Beautiful stuff. ” Time Out New York

“the Silent League deal in enormous hooks and enormous sounds, wrapped in the blurry focus of the ’70s soft-rock they hold dear….set to make their biggest splash yet” VILLAGE VOICE

“…Caretaker”contains some of The Silent League’s most explosive ideas in regard to genres like glam-rock and psychedelia” Obscuresound (they got that right)

“The Silent League, with one foot in sterling songcraft and the other in the Brooklyn diaspora, has sculpted stunningly fresh new music with the decapitated pieces of rock’s MOR family tree. Their name carries weight all over town although no-one is sure if they really exist” MusicRemedy

“But You’ve Always Been the Caretaker such a stunning record” JohnnyLeather

“miniature suites to Marc Bolan’s sentimental swagger” OneTrackMind

“soft rock and art rock through the funhouse mirror…magical” Under the radar

“But You’ve Always Been the Caretaker might already be one of the year’s best albums” 20Watts

“MAJESTIC” EXAMINER.COM

“a strange, beautiful album” jambase

“Layer after layer of soaring and melodic sounds combine in a track that feels filled with both youthful exuberance and tired wisdom” The Burning Ear